(BROWN CO.) - Brown County Schools have done away with their alternative lunch option for students whose meal accounts are out of money, deciding instead to offer a regular school lunch to students, whether they have paid or not.

The alternative lunch offered the student a different meal than those who had money on their meal accounts. School officials said having a different meal could create a negative impact on the student who didn't have enough money to pay for their meal.

In Brown County, 55 percent of students get free or reduced-price meals because they live in low-income families. Families who fall behind on lunch payments will receive letters in the mail, and also automated phone calls letting them know their children's lunch accounts have run dry.

The school board voted to create a school lunch fund people can donate to in order to help cover lunch expenses for children whose family income is too high for them to qualify for free meals, but who still struggle to pay for them.

To make a donation, contact food service director Jason Kirchhofer at (812) 988-6601. Checks can be sent to the schools' Administration Center at P.O. Box 38, Nashville, IN 47448. Donations can be made to the overall fund, designated for a particular school or even for an individual student.